COVID-19 vaccination and (short-term) mortality - a self-controlled case series study

The higher-than-expected death rates during the pandemic remain - at least partly - unexplained. In this study we want to further clarify the role of COVID-19 vaccination in the observed excess mortality. Previous analyses, based on Cox regression, failed to demonstrate a causal role of COVID-19 vaccination, but could not rule out the possibility that the results could be biased by prognostic differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. We therefore propose to apply a recently developed method based on a 'self-controlled case series'. This method is specifically designed to quantify short-term mortality after COVID-19 vaccination. Furthermore, it is possible to compare short-term mortality risks between subgroups. The results of this study will provide a better understanding of the risks of COVID-19 vaccination, which will be important for future vaccination strategies.